Model Boat Mayhem
Mess Deck: General Section => Chit-Chat => Topic started by: JayDee on August 08, 2015, 08:10:46 pm
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Hello,
Today I have been at a Traction Engine and Steam fair, displaying model boats with our Boat Club.
Good selection of boats to see, all sizes, Steam, Sail and Power.
My J Class was on its stand, with a gang of young boys - - - with Parents, all looking and asking questions.
The main question during the day was "Where did you get the Boat from ?".
My answer was " I made it ".
To my complete amazement, they did not understand my answer !!!!!.
I tried to explain what "making things" entailed, I may as well have been speaking Greek - - they did not understand what I was on about !!.
One boy, 11 years old, stood back and said " Look at the size of it - - it must have come in a big box !!"
This was said about the J Class - - - 6 feet long and nearly 8 feet tall!.
The boys Grandfather just shrugged his shoulders and said he had given up !.
Has anyone else come across this ?, are youngsters not making anything?, do they just buy things?.
What are they going to be doing in say, 20 years time?.
A rather worrying thought!.
John, {:-{
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John,
Lots of kids do make things - just not the things we used to make; in the future I expect to see many things designed on a 'puter using 3D software and then sent to a printer. The days of actually making "things" by hand either as a hobby or in manufacturing processes are diminishing rapidly - it's called progress.
The upside though is those with the skills to actually make "things", using their hand's and actual tools will become more in demand and earn correspondingly higher wages, as they will be so rare just like watch and clockmakers and those who know how to process monochrome films and prints using traditional methods for instance.
I wonder who I can be thinking of here. O0
LB
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It isn't really progress though, is it? I am finding young people mostly have no interest whatsoever in model ships. The obsession with mobiles is alarming, and getting worse.
Glad I was born in 1944 and not ten years ago.
Bob
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Hello LB,
Perhaps this ability to make things, which Model Makers have, and youngsters seem to be lacking in, is why the Ages of model makers is increasing.
Lots of model clubs seem to have older members - - not many youngsters!.
Does this mean that in 20 years or so, there will be NO Model Makers???.
Perish the thought !!!.
John.
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quite right Jay Dee ask a youngster these days what a tenon saw is for and they will look at you daft and come out with OH what game is that then.
Next door's son was gobsmacked when I showed him some of the boats and even his father who is a chippy was gobsmacked when he saw me bending wood the other day with a kettle and a plank with nails in it
Dave
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Hello,
I am back at the same Show again tomorrow.
Same spot, same boat - - will NOT be speaking to any Kids!!!!.
This has left me quite upset.
John, :(( :(( :((
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Take a packet of SWEETS with you and hand them out to the kids,that will get them on your side lol
Dave
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Hello
Will let you know how I get on, over and out !!.
john.
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we have a good few youngsters in the NLMES club mostly interested in the live steam locos, the kids are about I sail my model boats at 3 Rivers in Rickmansworth and it's interesting to note how many kids are sailing dinghys like lots not all kids have there faces in there phones!
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Jaydee in shock !!
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Hello,
I am back at the same Show again tomorrow.
Same spot, same boat - - will NOT be speaking to any Kids!!!!.
This has left me quite upset.
John, :(( :(( :((
Don't so defeatist. Many young people still want to know how to do things. It's for you and the rest of us, to talk to them in a way that they understand and if they don't, find a way to explain what it is they want to know in a different, more simple, if necessary way; learning is a two way street you know.
LB
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Hello LB,
That is SO easy to say.
John.
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A story board with pictures of the process would help you a lot... Or a looping video of the same pictures or an electronic presentation... Lots of things to activate the triggers of learning in the young minds of today....
Without meaning to be rude, a crusty old geezer saying "I made it" doesn't spark the young minds of the visual and interactive age.
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I have done up some sheets of photos of some of my models at various stages of their construction and laminated them. When our club does displays I place them alongside the relevant model so people can gain an understanding of the processes involved. They have proved very helpful, and I have received many positive comments.
Peter.
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I think the Jury is still out on this one :o................the younger generation gen Y? or is it Y or Z? %% ....seem to need near instant gratification >>:-(.......Derek
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It is not all doom and gloom.
http://www.makerfaireuk.com/about/ (http://www.makerfaireuk.com/about/)
http://makerversity.org/ (http://makerversity.org/)
http://makezine.com/ (http://makezine.com/)
The maker movement is growing in the public domain and in education around the world. Yes it does use modern materials and tools like cnc cutters and 3 d printers, but so do many other hobbyists in carpentry and modelling. It also encourages creativity using software, as well has hammers and saws.
There is more interest now as people have more time to do things (including hobbies) and less money to pay someone else to do it.
Maker faires can be found in many parts of the world now. A big area of interest is building controllable robots, certainly one of my dreams as a boy in the 1960s.
We are also seeing more people becoming interested in making their own food again. I think that 30 years ago we would have laughed at the notion that one of the prime time TV shows would be about making bread (Paul Hollywood), and another about making cakes (Great Br Bake Off). The huge interest in brewing craft beers has even spread to China.
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A story board with pictures of the process would help you a lot... Or a looping video of the same pictures or an electronic presentation... Lots of things to activate the triggers of learning in the young minds of today....
Without meaning to be rude, a crusty old geezer saying "I made it" doesn't spark the young minds of the visual and interactive age.
I couldn't agree more. A picture paints a thousand words.
I am sure that the build logs at the engineering shows get rifled by interested parties.
I am sure if people did a stop motion animation of the build log kids would be amazed. I have seen this done for a build log of a full size wooden sail boat somewhere.
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My club does a few static shows over the year at local venues when we get invited. Yes a lot of youngsters are unaware that things are made (even things that come of a shop shelf in a box) - so are a lot of adults. But a few show signs of interest. They might not go away wanting to make a boat, but they might just go away with the urge to make something, rather than being the totally passive consumers that "the system" wants us all to be.
If you can strike a few sparks over the year, you never know, you might just get a fire going.
For those of us who sail in public parks, it is a fact that every time we sail we are actually putting on a show. I think you really have to be prepared to talk with passers by who quite possibly have been taught to think that everything is CGI. I get the impression in my area that a lot of people who wander the park are management consultants and financial advisers whose physical technical abilities end with opening a matchbox and not spilling matches all over the floor. But you never know, a very few might suddenly get the urge to unleash a well suppressed latent talent. A lot will fall on stony ground, but some might land on fertile ground and grow.
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Explain how you built the boat in an email or a text message?
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My club does a few static shows over the year at local venues when we get invited. Yes a lot of youngsters are unaware that things are made (even things that come of a shop shelf in a box) - so are a lot of adults. But a few show signs of interest. They might not go away wanting to make a boat, but they might just go away with the urge to make something, rather than being the totally passive consumers that "the system" wants us all to be.
If you can strike a few sparks over the year, you never know, you might just get a fire going.
For those of us who sail in public parks, it is a fact that every time we sail we are actually putting on a show. I think you really have to be prepared to talk with passers by who quite possibly have been taught to think that everything is CGI. I get the impression in my area that a lot of people who wander the park are management consultants and financial advisers whose physical technical abilities end with opening a matchbox and not spilling matches all over the floor. But you never know, a very few might suddenly get the urge to unleash a well suppressed latent talent. A lot will fall on stony ground, but some might land on fertile ground and grow.
I entirely agree. The more we display our efforts, the more chance there is of 'lighting the spark of interest' in our hobby. I sail at least 2 of my boats most weekends at lakes in two large town parks with hundreds of passers-by and the attention I get is enormous, almost too much in fact at times as the questions and chatting eat into sailing time or spoil concentration. I think we are all aware of the same old questions asked on these occasions and I would guess that 'How do I start making models like that?' is well down the list of -
Did you make it yourself? How much did it cost?(!!!!!!) %) How fast does it go? Are you going to put it in the water? What if it gets stuck in the middle? Where can I buy one? etc
Still, I do get asked the main question and this shows that the spark is there somewhere and we must patiently help them on the way.
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Then never, ever sail a sub in public...the usual question is : "is that a submarine?" to which the answer is "yes".
Next question is : "does it go underwater?" to which the answer is "yes".
Next question is always "how deep will it go?" to which the answer is "all the way to the bottom".
At that point 99% of would be questioners walk away. Those that remain normally ask sensible questions and receive sensible answers.
Bless their little cotton undies...
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At our club we get large numbers of families with young kids who all show intense fascination in the many model boats, both on the water and on the bank. There really should be a way to develop that interest into actually making one for themselves (or more practically their parents making one for them). After all most of these parents have already showed their building skills by converting model boat transporters into young people carriers.
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If anyone is at fault it is society as a whole that has allowed the imagination and independance of children to be eroded to the point of mediocrity.
Parents are bombarded with media fears about paedophiles around every corner and we drive too fast down over parked streets so that kids cannot play outside except in restrictive back gardens.
Schools are so safety consious that I have heard of examples where stanley knife blades are 'pre' blunted so that pupils cannot cut themselves(?) and the media/advertising frenzy tells us that we need a new mobile smart phone before the old one even has a scratch on it. Add to this the availability of instant online marketing and computer design becoming the norm, I can see why some children just cannot comprehend that you can build a model ship as well as buy a whole ready to use one.
And these are parents of children- the second generation. Their parents were the first with mobile phones, the Internet was starting to open up to the ability for selling anything and everything from anywhere online, and Compuer design capability was already well enough advanced to have generated second or third generation drawing programs. This was the late ninties!
I understand people's irritation caused by silly questions. Of course a bloody submarine will sink to the bottom, and of course the boat sat near to a pond with you holding a transmitter is going to be put in the water. To many it is obvious, but to some, atuned to a diet of virtual and all action instantness, it is all too slow and out of their context.
There is a sort of rennaissance already in youngsters, some of which play the World of Tanks/Warplanes type semi/simulator games that use historical equipment. I have first hand experienced a boy of ten identify a 'Hawk 75' Aircraft. I would have expected him to ID a Spitfire and maybe a Lancaster bomber, both icons, but an early war export to France during the German invasion in may1940? Hell, I hadn't heard of the machine unti a few months before and I am a dyed in the wool glue spiller and plastic whittler!
There is hope, but it needs all of us to do our best, accept some incredulity and we might, just might halp return our youngsters to making something with their hands. Fingers crossed!
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Did you make it yourself? How much did it cost?(!!!!!!) %) How fast does it go? Are you going to put it in the water? What if it gets stuck in the middle? Where can I buy one? etc
Still, I do get asked the main question and this shows that the spark is there somewhere and we must patiently help them on the way.
....and the one other question we get asked (and not just by youngsters either) "How long did it take to build"? O0
Just be honest with the answer and you'll soon see whether they're interested or not :-))
I guess we should also bear in mind that some young people have to do a lot of studying outwith their schooltime and, of course, there's the peer pressure to consider..... ;)
Regards,
Ray.
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Please don't hold your breath. No discipline in schools or at home the word "RESPECT" does no longer exist! talk to any Police community officer and listen to their comments such you can't touch me I am underage and your not a real Police officer.
As a boy of nine I gave a load of cheek to our local bobby who promptly, quite rightly, clipped me round the ear. Went home made the stupid mistake of telling my dad and guess what? another clip round the ear. Nowadays you cannot even shout at your own children in case its not politically correct or you are invading their human rights. I am so glad that I was born in an age where you had to respect your elders.
Faz. <*< <*< <*< <*< <*< <*< <*<
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Hello,
Another long stint at the fair today.
Many family groups, lots with "Youngsters", so I spoke to the Parents, letting them do the explaining to the kids!!.
Seemed to work better than yesterday when I was talking to the kids.
Maybe its because I am "A Stranger," that the kids don't listen to me, as well as they do to their parents.
Anyway, the day was much better, no complete dummies, at least not talking to me !!!.
Now feeling slightly better about the whole episode !.
John.
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If I had a pound for every time a baby boomer complained about my generation I'd have enough to buy a home in the housing market you all ruined for me %)
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This is the reason we pushed the Springer tug so much in the States.
It is such a simple build that practically anyone could build up a hull, and
then drop by the club to get a bit of help with the hardware and fittings.
What started out as a local boat, unique to the Seattle, Washington Ship Modelers (http://shipmodelers.com/index.html) has
reached 'round the world. I don't think Springer family had any idea how popular the model would be when he created the first three boats.
If possible, we still try to put a Springer or two into the hands of the children that
show up at the pond. Because we never know when that "one" experience will create a new modeler, and enthusiast.
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If I had a pound for every time a baby boomer complained about my generation I'd have enough to buy a home in the housing market you all ruined for me %)
I am a baby boomer, and have lost count of the number of times more senior gogs complained about my generation. %)
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John you wernt simply having Another bad hair day were you ok2
Dave
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I virtually gave up ship modelling months ago (after 59 years of it). Very few modellers of any age are interested in scratchbuilding anything over a few hundred tons. When I take my merchant ship models to the local model club, I can almost see the eyes glaze over when I put them on the table. I gave up exhibiting them at our regular shows years ago. The best I could expect was a casual glance, before they would pass on to some big warship, usually built from a kit.
Eventually, I got tired of not have anything in production, and have started again with Cunard Line's cargo ship Arabia. (Working Ships section), but viewing figures are already trailing off!
Still, my enthusiasm seems to be returning after the long break. This is one of the last major builds completed before I decided to pack it all in, the British four-masted barque Lord Ripon, completely hand built, and rigged in fine copper wire!
Bob
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There seems to be a general air of melancholy around at the moment, perhaps caused by the awful summer we are enduring at present.
Just because the numbers of people looking at a build or completed model tails off does not matter in the slightest. We or most of us do, build models for our own sake, to keep us occupied and sane. The fact that people look at our models, photographs or paintings whether it be at club nights, exhibitions or on this or any other site - is a bonus.
So Bob, don't stop or give up modelling do it for yourself and not others.
LB
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Too right, it is your hobby for your pleasure. If no one want to engage or even look closely at your work then it is their loss not yours. it s what I say to fellow club members who are the 'Doers'. Do the work for yourself and accept that those who do not help* are welcome to benefit from your labours in a form of philanthropy.
*Some people are too poorly or old to help and often wish they could so I exclude them from my last comments.
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One of the major reasons for me stopping was not because other modelmakers showed so little interest in them, but because I never got much peace from collectors who were continually wanting me to take on private commissions (I have not done private commissions for some years now) or saying "if you ever think of building ........, I will be interested!"
Another problem was that at 70, I was beginning to feel my age in various ways, and felt I had to have a rest. After a year of not doing much model wise, I felt physically much older. Since starting building again, I have felt so much better!
Bob
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Having read this thread I have concluded that i am a confirmed optimist. Of course there are lots of young people who have no knowledge of or interest in building model boats, or model anything. There are also people in their 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s who feel the same. Yes, young people use smartphones - why wouldn't they? Didn't you embrace technological advance to improve and expand your lifestyle?
But - my own experience is that young people (say ages 8-18) are generally interested in new things, inquisitive, aspirational, ambitious and, in general, smarter than I and my contemporaries were at their age. Of course they are teenagers - in turn selfish, rude, thoughtless and moody - but 'twas ever thus. Building model boats may or may not be going the way of the dodo (and I don't actually think it is), but that is not through some inherent fault in our children or children's children. They are all fine, with a perfectly reasonable lifestyle and set of interests. Just because they don't coincide with yours is no reason to belittle them or despair for the future.
And Bob - I for one thoroughly enjoyed and admired your delightful builds. And as Liverbudgie says, we all started on this hobby for our own satisfaction. So glad you have started building again and that it makes you feel young again - when's the build log appearing?
Right, enough of that - back to making sawdust! :-))
Greg
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Here here Greg.
Jerry.
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Thanks for replies,
Greg, the build log has already appeared. It is in Working Vessels section, here on MBM.
As far as I am concerned, the greatest danger to the present generation is that they are moving at ever-increasing speed into a virtual world, where they even get withdrawal symptoms if they lose their mobiles and very little of their activities are actually real, whatever it might be!
In 50 years time, what will they be able to say to their children about what they did? Probably nothing as all the mobiles an devices of their youth will have long since been scrapped!
I have become very computer literate over the years. At the same time, I can carry out simple repairs such as changing the BIOS battery without having to pay a shop £30+ to do it for me, also can sort out most computer problems. I have a mobile, but it is only switched on if I want to make a telephone call.
I really feel that the present trend of football, video games, mobiles and computers is really doing great harm to society.
Bob
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In thirty ansl will have two types of people there:
Those who have three arms:
One for the IPHONE
one for the tumbler of soda
one for the activities
Those who will have two arms:
one for the IPHONE
one for the tumbler of soda
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The blame has to be laid squarely at the feet of the Education Boardroom committees , kid's have to be 'switched on ' to using their brains & hands , there's no art / metalwork / woodwork / tech' drawing / home economics being taught in evidence at any of the local school's . . .
Forget 'targets' forget 'performance tables' forget 'paperwork' forget 'calculators' just make sure the kid's are leaving school with a grasp of real life (tho' judging by the standards of SPELLING on EBay & other social sites there's a LONG way to go )
Curiously ,did you Know BROADMOOR is an anagram of BOARDROOM ? %%
Bill
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I am the proud father of two son's. My youngest is into Airfix kits and i let him loose with super glue, scalpels and all the other 'dangerous' types of tools and materials. He is 13. My eldest is into 00 scale model railways and allso uses all the above tools plus a soldering iron ( he can solder better than me >:-o ) and has built his own base boards and track ( including points ) to build an exhibition quality model railway. He is 15. They both built and exhibited a small model railway 2 years ago and got mentioned in the Hornby magazine as prize winners in a contest. They have both been modelling for years now an i wouldn't want it any other way. They allso steam up a working model Mammod traction engine and have done for years. We allso have two converted R/C boats, a Seaport and a RTR police boat. Yes that both have the latest phones and gaming console but they often get bored with them. As i speak my eldest is upstairs building his model railway and my youngest is in the dining room building an Airfix tank transporter and a Sherman tank to go on it. Not all youngsters are clueless and mine surprise me all the time!!!!!!
Regards, Dave ( happy dad ) :-)
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ok2
Happy man!
My son is 50 years old and when I say: " HAMMER " or " TURN -SCREW "He goes to see on the Internet to know has what that serves
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Hi davenotdone, great to hear about your lads, I expect they will grow up to be practical and competent in looking after their more and more complex homes in the future.
My lad is approaching 50 liked the model boats built some kits had a model railway and now very competent about the home and a good cook He is a Yachtmaster now with a 6 berth yacht. I was a bit put out when I found he could fly my little quadcopter better than I.
My daughter did not take part in the model making but something must have rubbed off as she fixes things in the house and used to design jewelry.
Now an Image Consultant and helps others to look good which is what most people want these days.
When the were young the cry used to be "daddy fix it"
I have decided I am too old to make meaningfull remarks about current teenagers.
regards and well done bringing up a family.
Roy
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I'm a STEM ambassador (Science, Technology, Engineering & Maths) and I do school career evenings and it is depressing to see mile-long queues at the Crime-Scene Investigator stand and very short lines at anything ‘difficult’ like engineering.
Engineering is the 3rd highest paid career after medicine & law - but most kids seem to think they are going to be the next ‘X-Factor' winner.
I read something a while ago about school-leavers expectations of their lives (house, job, salary, car, holidays etc.) and without exception, they would need to earn at least 3x the reality of their future to furnish the lifestyle they were expecting to have.
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I made my first models with my Dad and also 'helped' him build parts for his tractor in the back garden. He is a clever chap and some of it rubbed off on me. I don't doubt there are young people out there making and thinking as well as tinkering with Tech. I think they are most likely like Dave's sons, who have been enthused and encouraged to make and think and problem solve by a Father who is supportive?
I know of some youngsters who are members of my old engineering club who come from different backgrounds and practice in varying model railway gauges.
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Isn't this just a sad development for kids?
People are so busy and so afraid of having to clean up extra in their homes, that they won't let their kids experiement with "how to make" and make a mess while learning.
I have two daughters, 9 and 6 years old, our home is a mess of different experimental projects, and once a month we clean it all up and start over new projects. They don't even ask "where do we buy" or "can we buy", they just start "to make" if they want or need something, they create from lego, clay, used boxes, cardboard, stone, everything they might find useful for what they make. Their schoolfriends and their parents think they've gone into a combat zone when they are here because of all the weird and creative projects we have done or are doing. All their kids do is either electronical games or drawing... they hardly understand how to play with toys either.. And this issue makes it extremely difficult for my daughters to have friends, because they are both creators and players, but this type of children don't seem to exist any longer... its so sad..
- karina
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;) I think this is a two way street,a lot of us oldies don't encourage the young people and some do the opposite,many moons ago I was at a lake when a young lad turned up with his dad and a model boat he had made from a kit,it was plain to see that he was very proud of his little boat,the boat was a good first effort and sailed quite well but was not perfect,alone come the loyal know it all( every club has one) and he tore the little lads effort into pieces,the young lad was in tears and heart broken,at this point I had to tell the lad that there was nothing wrong with his boat I also told the person who ruined the young mans day what I thought of him,sadly we never saw the boy again, a modeler lost before he had even began,I can remember my first efforts in the early 60s and the amount of help I had from some the oldies back then,we should be passing on that knowledge that we were given when we first started and help this wonderful hobby to continue for future generations to come, Ray. ;)
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oh yes don't we just all know those know-it-alls... they can indeed ruin things for starters.
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Thank you all for your kind comments about my boys modelling hobbies. I didn't think at the time about the dangers, the modelling knife is sharp i told them, it has to be to cut, the super glue is er.... super, it has to stick things, the soldering iron is hot or it won't solder, the model traction engine is hot or it won't produce steam. It all seems pretty basic stuff to me and my boys are always careful and i always praise them if it turns out right or wrong, they have made superb models and bad ones but at least they are learning. Yes there is a lot of mess now and then but if my eldest son at the age of 15 can build a fully working model railway with home made track, working points, DCC sound and lots of scenery and buildings then i am well chuffed ( no pun intended ) . If my youngest can be bothered building and painting small Airfix kits i am allso well happy. It doesn't matter if very soon other destractions turn up ( of the female kind ) they will have learnt a lot of useful skills that a session on Minecraft or Call Of Duty on the Xbox won't. Regards, Dave.
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wow, Dave, sounds like you and your boys are also having a great time together with this, just like my daughters and I.
I see you're located in Blackpool - 11 years ago I was there with my English family from Lancashire, and we went to St. Annes as well, that park there had a lake where we could play with rc boats... i was quite difficult to drag home from there *LOL*
- karina
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"We live in a decaying age. Our youth spend their time in taverns and are disrespectful to their elders." -Anonymous graffiti, circa 1800 B.C, found in an internal passageway of a pyramid.
But I prefer
Pay attention to the young, and make them just as good as possible. -Socrates, in Plato's _Euthyphro_
A youth is to be regarded with respect. How do you know that his future will not be equal to our present? -Confucius, _Analects_
Nothing that is said about youth changes, just the people saying it.
Chas.
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This is a lot different though, and it is not confined to the young. A large number of people of all ages are moving more towards a false "virtual" world that is mainly shadows on a screen (just like I am doing at this very instant {:-{ )
Most folk I know, of all ages, are too scared to turn their mobiles off "In case something happens!"
Bob
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I often leave my phone at wrk or at home when going to the other place and smetimes it falls out of my trouser pockets and usually turns up. It isn't a smart phone and I cannot usually be arsed to look for it. If it is so important that I must be contacted, I have three methods of contact beyond the Mobile.
Computer gaes can educate, but not in a construcional manner. We would like to encourage more young people to our club.
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"We live in a decaying age. Our youth spend their time in taverns and are disrespectful to their elders." -Anonymous graffiti, circa 1800 B.C, found in an internal passageway of a pyramid.
But I prefer
Pay attention to the young, and make them just as good as possible. -Socrates, in Plato's _Euthyphro_
A youth is to be regarded with respect. How do you know that his future will not be equal to our present? -Confucius, _Analects_
Nothing that is said about youth changes, just the people saying it.
Chas.
AGREE TOTALLY , kid's are a blank canvas & need to pointed in the right direction . . . .
Bill
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Whats a ' mobile phone ' ? I don't have one and never have. I am 53 years of age and don't want one. Somebody told me once that they are great, ' you can be contacted any time all the time with one! ' was there reason to have one. And that's a bonus????? No thanks, an Apple it to put into your mouth, not next to your ear!! Regards, Dave.
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Is that why never answer your phone when I ring ya Dave!!!! :P
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I don't understand how kids of today are not interested in building things, YET I believe ( I saw it on TV a couple of months ago!) that Lego, the popular building brick toy(?) is the most popular toy, or has the biggest worldwide market or some other massive statistic.
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LEGO has changed over the years - when we were young, we'd get an assortment of blocks and let our imaginations loose! :-))
Nowadays, a lot of LEGO is sold as kits which are tie-ins to their two or three TV series, and other assorted, pre-packaged themes. More profitable, I suppose.
Tom
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Our tiny Victorian village school, where both my lads began their education, has a motto (Bible?) above it's door which reads 'Teach up a child in the way he should go and he will not depart from it'
which says it all really. It has been there for over 130 years and my sons are a perfect practical example of it.
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With all the talk about getting kids involved....
Would it be worth considering a kids only build section on the forum???
Perhaps some existing members can post builds of young club members
In their clubs to encourage others
Just a thought :-))
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It's a good job we are not all alike, or the world would be full of model boats, some children (kids are what goats have) if there is a spark of practicality try and fire it up, but a lot of children excel in other things like sport, art and other academic things. I have no interest in sport at all would not do it at school could not see the point but go to the woodwork /metalwork could not keep me out . It's a sad thing but this is the age we live in now there is of no large scale manufacture anymore as you all know so to be practical is becoming a thing of the past . I wish I could get my 12 year old grandson interested but there is no a hope. But LEGO that's a different thing he designs on the computer makes up a list of parts build SciFi stuff then makes stop go animation ,submits his ideas on their site, but hold a saw or a screwdriver correctly it's never going to happen . So I am afraid we are all going to have to live with it .
David
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you can still buy assorted Lego, its called Lego Basic or something like that, in boxes with roofing, windows, doors etc. and others with basic blocks for building whatever your heart might desire.
we buy both the sets and the basics, but as soon as the sets have been built, they start to tear it down to build of their own liking.
- karina
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You can do better than that - Lego sell individual bricks - just make a shopping list of what you want.
You can also design models using their free Lego-cad software and then you upload the design and they'll sort the parts and send you a kit of parts to build your model. :-))
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true, Plastic.
I still dream of building a huge dollhouse in Lego from my own design, but its a bit costly.
- karina
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It took three years to change the local club.
The commodore used to yell at the kids and parents,
" Don't Touch!, You can't afford that boat, and neither can your parents."
It was awful to go to one of their events and see the public roped out of the display area.
The commodore was even seen questioning his own club members, "Who are you with? This area is for club members only!"
To that end we built up the "kids springer" and let the kids play at the other end of the pond during regatta day.
That club still has a bit more to work out, but things are so much better.
Especially after the elected management. :-))
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Parents still act responsibly with their children and kids like to play.
Make it an enjoyable and learning experience.
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That is a good thing to see so many children giving it a go and being given the chance to. It is selfish (though we all accept that model ships can take years to build and therefore are intrinsically valuable) to prevent children from exeriencing any hobby, as once we are dead, who will keep the flame alight if we disincentivise the next generation, and their offspring?
Not everyone likes dealing with children and we need to deal with this if we are to keep the ones we do have, and encourage others to take the hobby up.
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Perhaps it would be a good idea if a club boat ( slow and solid) could be held in reserve for the inquisitive "can I have a go mister?" This along with a simple pc printed brochure with membership details and club rules ( all under 16to be accompanied by a responsible adult ...etc etc) could help to bring youth into the hobby.
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Whilst visiting Largs last week I came across a notice at the Cumbrae ferry terminal.
It read -
' LOCH SHIRA' - designed by 14 yr old Luke Ball of Kilmarnock. 'Loch Shira' is on track to be immortalised in LEGO. The project needs 10,000 supporters to be considered for production by the Lego Company. Supported by CalMac Ferries, this young designer now needs your votes!
Please help make this into a real Lego set by supporting the project via - http://ideas.lego.com/projects/99373
I recalled this thread on young people and their interest in modelling boats being encouraged and thought maybe some members would wish to give support to this obviously clever young lad? Please visit the link to see his model of the ferry.
'From little acorns....!'
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I have just had a look and the project was a404 error,maby there was not enough support in the time rule on the Lego web site , if so it would be a shame . It appears the rules a very strict
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I just tried the link and it works fine.
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At luton we use derated club 500s. After a couple of years we are getting the hang of it now. We find that it is a lot of mums that come down with the kids, then the dads come down. Shame really as it would be good to get both parents involved in the club. We also have a could of club members who are dsb qualified and have done vulnerable adults and children courses. While not necessary it does help.